Paul-Willem Segers
 Paul-Willem Segers    ( politician, éminence grise, trade union leader) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 In 1959 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 December 1900 Antwerpen, Belgium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 5 February 1983 (Age 82) Aldaar, Belgium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Belgian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | KU Leuven | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Jozef Segers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Christian Social Party (Belgium) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Belgian Christian trade union leader and politician who attended Bilderberg/1959.
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Paul-Willem Segers, best known as P. W. Segers, was a Belgian politician and prominent leader of the Christian labour movement. Among other things, he was defence minister. The influence of Segers as 'éminence grise' within Belgian politics was considerable.
Education
Paul-Willem Segers belonged to a modest middle-class family. He studied at the newly founded Central College for Christian workers in Heverlee. He belonged to the first group, including August Cool, and obtained the degree of social assistant in 1924. He continued his studies and obtained the licentiate in social and political sciences at the KU Leuven in 1926.
Career
Segers first worked as a social worker and then from 1927 to 1946 he was secretary of the General Christian Workers' Association (Algemeen Christelijk Werknemersverbond, ACW). At the same time, he was later also chairman of the People's Insurance (De Volksverzekering) and the BAC Bank (Centrale Depositoka). In 1941 he was the founder of the Christian Workers' Movement (Kristelijke Werknemersbeweging, KWB).
Political functions
In the 1930s Segers was an influential representative of the Democratic Wing within the Catholic party. His influence extended far beyond what his initially modest political mandates might suggest.
His first political mandate was that of municipal councillor of Antwerp, a mandate he exercised from 1933 to 1952. In 1939, he became resposible for Social Works. During the war, he held a office in the Greater Antwerp created by the occupier. The Walloon wing of the Christian labour movement accused him of collaboration, leading to a split.
From 1949 to 1971, Segers sat as an appointed senator in the Senate.
Segers was a minister in Belgian governments for more than twenty years, with a few interruptions. From August 1949 to April 1954 he was Minister of Transport. He exercised this function again from June 1958 to september 1960. He was Minister of Transport and social coordination from September 1960 to April 1961. He then was Minister of national defence in the Lefèvre government from April 1961 to May 1965, deputy prime minister in charge of Social Policy Coordination from July 1965 to February 1966, and again as Minister of national defence from June 1968 to January 1972.
He was made minister of state on 12 July 1966. In the period 1962-1963 he was part of the Working Group on constitutional renewal.
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1959 | 18 September 1959 | 20 September 1959 | Turkey Yesilkoy | The 8th Bilderberg and the first in Turkey. 60 guests. |
References
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